Six arrests were made in connection with offences including possession of suspected drugs, possession of criminal property, possession of fraudulent documents and immigration offences.

A cannabis farm worth an estimated £35,000 was discovered at an address on Yarm Lane and a small amount of suspected drugs, believed to be class A and class B, were also seized along with thousands of counterfeit cigarettes.

Further enquiries overnight and into this morning have resulted in the recovery of cannabis with an approximate street value of up to £40,000 and £27,000 in cash from an address on Corporation Street, Stockton. A 21-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class B drugs and money laundering.

All of those arrested remain in police custody today.

Temporary Superintendent Jason Dickson, who led the operation, said: “I would like to thank the members of the local community who have come forward with the information to enable us to carry out this enforcement activity.

“We coordinated this activity with our partner agencies to disrupt the supply of class A drugs in Stockton to show the public that we do listen to their concerns and to send out the message that we will take action and that criminal activity will not be tolerated.”

Police and Crime and Commissioner Barry Coppinger attended the final briefing and went out with officers on the operation.He said: “The activity is a great example of partnership working and that local communities’ concerns are being listened to and acted upon. Stockton is no doubt a better place as a result of this operation.”

Anyone with information regarding drugs activity is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101 or the Confidential Drugs Hotline on 0800 0929 702.